Personal Hell
by heartofstone15
Summary: Once again, the small Irken awoke from the nightmare only to realize it was yet to be over. ZaGr Tell me what you think of it. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

Once again, the small Irken awoke from the nightmare only to realize it was yet to be over. He glared at the glass walls of his personal hell with all the cold fury that had built up in him over the course of the experience. A single moment's weakness, that was all it took.

****A WEEK BEFORE****

_How odd._ Zim thought as he fixed his Pak. He glanced at the clock and, seeing that soon he would not be able to, put on his PAK.

Instantly, his perspective on everything changed. How could he be so blind? It was a wonder how he never noticed it before. Zim was a defect. His PAK contained a malfunctioning feelings block and it had allowed him to behave in ways unfit for any respectable Irken. No wonder the Tallests had sent him on a fake mission.

Zim could feel no anger toward them now. He simply saw the logic behind getting rid of a defective Irken.

"Computer!" Zim commanded. "Contact the Tallests!"

****** Onboard the Massive******

"Oh no. Zim," groaned Tallest Red.

"Why was he never deactivated, again?" Purple asked, munching on a nacho.

"He kept escaping, remember? Now let's see what new failure of a plan he has created," Red sighed.

"Greetings, my Tallests," Zim saluted." I am calling to inform you that I will no longer be contacting you. I have discovered that my PAK contained a defect so I will continue my banishment on Earth. I believe I have temporarily countered the effects of the malfunction but I'm not positive. For your safety, I will destroy all ways to contact the Irken Empire so that I will not try to attempt revenge. Zim, signing off."

The screen reverted to the red Irken symbol. All the Tallests could do was stare in shock.

"Hey!" Purple said. "He's never calling back again!"

"Finally," Red slumped into his chair. "I thought I would go crazy with him calling us every single day!"

"Let's go eat food," Purple said.

*****Zim's Base***

"Computer! Destroy all ways to contact any Irken owned property. GIR!" Zim shouted into a microphone.

The blue-eyed robot appeared out of a hole in the wall. "Yes!"

"GIR, we no longer have a mission and I will be improving the base's defenses. You will be joining me at skool, passing as my insane little brother who can no longer be home-skooled. Besides, I can't trust you alone at the house even with Minimoose after the biscuit incident," Zim shuddered. "Your suit is a little too noticeable so I will be adding holographic projectors to you."

"You gonna make biscuits!" GIR shouted.

Zim sighed. "No, GIR. I won't be making biscuits."

"Awwww!" GIR cried.

The next day at skool, Zim was joined by a short, blue-eyed, black-haired boy with a white tee with a giant cupcake on the front. The boy was jumping around excitedly, poking at things.

"He's up to something, Gaz, I just know it," Dib ranted. "I mean look at him! He's so…. green."

"Go away, Dib, before I make you wish that I was never born," Gaz growled.

"Don't you care that he's trying to take over the Earth?"Dib asked, shocked.

"No. He's too stupid to take over," retorted Gaz. "Now go away. I'm finishing these last levels."

Dib pouted but soon got over it. Instead he went over to discover "Zim's new plan". Unfortunately, he was attacked by the blue-eyed boy.

"HI! Why is your head so big?" the boy grinned from ear to ear.

"It's not big! And who are you and why are you hanging out with Zim?" Dib questioned.

"GIR! Get away from the Dib," Zim said, glaring at his enemy.

"GIR? Isn't he your robot?" Dib returned the glare. "What are you planning, Zim?"

"You speak nonsense, worm," Zim sneered. "Zim has stopped planning to destroy this spinning ball of filthy dirt as of last night."

Dib scoffed. "Like I would believe that for a second, Zim! I'll find out what it is eventually! You'll be sitting all snug in your evil and turn around and I'll be there! Doing stuff!"

"Ha! You wouldn't make it past my lawn gnomes and even if you did, you would find nothing to do you stuff to. So don't try!" With that, Zim turned and stalked off to class.

"Just you wait, alien," Dib mumbled. "Just you wait."

"Kids, today a new student is joining us! Isn't that great! Yay!" Mr. Elliot hugged himself.

Gaz growled and rolled her eyes. Her teacher was always getting on her nerves. Her utter darkness and his stupid optimism were constantly at war, and it drove her insane. Not only that, but she wasn't allowed to play her gameslave2 because it "distracted the other students". She knew that none would dare even glance at her while she was playing, not if they wanted to keep their limbs. Besides, she only followed that particular rule because the last time Mr. Elliot had called her Dad to explain why Gaz couldn't bring her gs2 to skool, her Dad had said that it "improves hand-eye coordination and turns us into better human beings" instead of punishing her like she wanted. Her Dad barely paid enough attention to her or her brother and probably wouldn't care if they disappeared except for the fact that he wouldn't have anyone to take up the Membrane Labs once he no longer could.

"HI! I got chocolate bubble gum!" an annoyingly familiar voice said from the front of the room.

"That's nice, Gir, but you can't eat in class," Mr. Elliot explained to the blue-eyed boy who was drinking a Suck Monkey.

The reasoning was lost on the disguised robot. GIR looked blankly at the teacher for a second before turning around and walking to one of the many empty seats next to Gaz, happily drinking and humming. He turned to Gaz and smiled.

"Hi! You're pretty!" GIR said happily.

_How can someone be so annoying and still exist?_ Gaz growled.

"Master likes you! I seen it!" Gir babbled. "He say you not like other humans! He say you're like him!"

Gaz wondered how Zim had not destroyed the robot already."Shut up before I make you wish you had rabid weasels in your head instead of knowing me."

"I already have bees in there," GIR said.

Gaz opened her eyes slightly to glare at the robot. She would have to come up with new threats for this case.

During lunch, Zim kept GIR from going on a rampage and eating everything by bribing him with his own lunch. Gaz glanced at him over her game slave, reflecting what GIR had said in class. She normally wouldn't have cared, but this felt different. She didn't think anyone could compare themselves to her.

Dib, however, was watching Zim for another reason. "What could he be planning, Gaz? Why would he bring his robot to skool if he weren't planning anything?"

"Maybe because he can't trust GIR to behave," Gaz had been told by GIR why he was here.

"Naw! You would think an alien invader would have a better minion," Dib chuckled. "He has to have some sort of evil plan and I'm going to find out what it is!"

Gaz got up and faced her brother. "Shut up, Dib. I'm tired of listening to you talk about your stupid paranormal this or your stupid Zim is evil that."

She stomped off to slam herself down next to Zim and GIR, leaving Dib speechless for once. She knew what would scar him the most and this was one of them.

"Hi, lady!" GIR screeched while Zim simply raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

"What are you doing here, little Gaz?" Zim asked uncharacteristically curious.

"Punishing my brother because his voice fills me with rage," Gaz said while killing pigs on her gs2. "He thinks you have another plan and he's probably going to sneak into your base tonight."

"Umm…why are you telling Zim this, Human?" Zim asked.

"I thought it would be funny to see him get tested on or something," Gaz replied. "You got any video games over at your base?"

"Yes."

"Good, I'm coming over then to scar Dib even more."

"How do I know you're not lying to find out my new plan?" Zim questioned. "The Dib-stink has done that before."

Normally a comment like this would earn the one who said it a punch in the nose, or in Zim's case the face, but Gaz was feeling slightly calmer with the prospect of watching Dib's mental pain. "I can tell when you don't have a plan, Zim. You're a horrible liar and besides, I am Dib's only family. He would go insane if it seemed that we were friends."

Zim grinned evilly." Dib in pain? I would never miss an opportunity like this."


	2. Chapter 2

Gaz and GIR were waiting outside skool when Dib and Zim showed up.

"Sorry I took so long, Gaz," Dib glared at Zim. "The alien won't admit that he's up to something."

"The Almighty Zim has told you several times, pig-smelly," Zim said annoyed. "I'm not planning to destroy the humans anymore!"

"Sure, Zim. Sure you're not," Dib rolled his eyes.

"Tacos!" Gir screamed.

"Besides, why would the almighty Zim tell you any of his secret plans if I knew you would destroy them?" Zim asked rhetorically and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You've done that several times already."

"You're lying!"

"Tell Dad I'll be home for dinner," Gaz said, breaking up the two enemies.

"Sure, where are you going?" asked Dib.

"Zim's. He's got video games," Gaz hid her smile as she watched Dib's reaction.

He was shocked into speechlessness for about five seconds, an amazing feat. With mouth agape, Dib began to babble in disbelief.

"What! He's an alien trying to destroy us all! He'll probably …" Suddenly he paused and a broad grin stretched across his face. "Wait, no go ahead. That's a great idea, Gaz! You can spy on his evil and stuff! Why didn't I think of that?"

Zim stared as his enemy walked off. "Heh. You were right, Gaz-human. A friendship between you and me certainly drove the Dib-stink even more insane than usual."

"Meh. He'll still try to spy on us," Gaz said.

"No matter," Zim shrugged. "You get used to it. Come GIR!"

"Okey dokey!" GIR giggled.

They were barely a few streets from skool when Zim saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He sighed. Would Dib ever leave him alone?

"Hey! Big head boy! Why are you hidin' in the bushes? You wanna play with me and Pig?" Zim's minion pulled at Dib's hair.

"Hey! Ow! Shoo! Go away!" Dib shouted.

"Weeee!" GIR dragged Dib along by the hair to Zim's house. "Let's make biscuits! Let's make biscuits!"

Zim smirked. The big-headed boy would soon be subjected to GIR's creative cooking. He wondered whether it would be peanuts, soap, or bacon this time.

Zim had both Earth and Irken video games that he normally used for training. He had allowed Gaz to choose the game, thinking that he would be able to defeat a puny human at anything. He regretted this decision about a minute later.

Zim looked, almost smiling, over at the girl sitting next to him. Gaz was much more tolerable then the other humans. He could almost say he liked her. Suddenly, Zim gasped, shocked by his own thoughts.

"Gaz, take your brother and go down to my labs," he demanded. "Now."

"Afraid I'm going to…Zim?" Gaz looked at the alien and knew something was wrong.

Zim was clutching the sofa, fear written across his features. His antennae were sticking straight up, knocking off his wig. Zim's eyes glowed red behind his contacts. Suddenly his entire body trembled and, just as suddenly, relaxed.

"Too late, Gaz," Zim purred.

He pinned her to the sofa, crushing his lips into hers. Zim's long tongue curled around hers and slithered down her throat. Gaz was so shocked she wasn't able to defend herself. Within seconds of the outburst, the computer sent down tentacles, attaching themselves to Zim's PAK and hoisting him to the ceiling. He released Gaz and a shock of electricity racked his body, knocking him out.

"What the hell was that all about!" Gaz shouted, wiping her mouth.

"A defect has been found in Master's Pak. For safety reasons, he has been put into sleep mode until the defect can be countered," the computer said in a bored tone.

"So? What does that have to do with kissing me just then?" Gaz asked, looking up at the alien.

"Master is not used to having strong emotions so they will cause him to lose control of himself," the computer replied.

"So, how long till he can wake up?"

"Unknown."

Gaz stomped into the kitchen where her brother was strapped to a chair, burping bubbles and looking sick. She grabbed the chair and dragged him out of the base.

"Come on, Dib," she said. "Time to go."

"Bye, Big Head!" laughed GIR, waving.

"Hey, why is Zim on the ceiling, Gaz?" Dib asked, looking at the twitching alien.

"None of your business, Dib," Gaz growled. "We're going home."

This sent him into a state of panic. "Tell me what he did to you! I'll tear his insides out!"

"No, you won't," she threatened. "He's sick. You'll leave him alone until he gets better."

"But he did something to you, I just know it! Besides, he's vulnerable now. We can stop his reign of terror!"

"The only thing you should worry about is what will happen if you mess with him."

Dib pouted. He knew that Zim had done something to Gaz. She never defended anyone. Whatever that alien did, he would get Zim. That was certain.

When they got home, Dib found a way to escape the bonds around him and dashed upstairs to his computer. He needed to contact the Swollen Eyeball.

"What is it, Agent Moth Man?" the shadowed figure of Agent Dark Bootie asked.

"Do we have facilities for holding aliens?"


	3. Chapter 3

_He could see Dib through the curved glass. He was smiling and looking proud. He was laughing, laughing at Zim. Everyone was laughing at Zim. Scientists, Irkens, humans, the Tallests, everyone._

****in reality*****

Zim mumbled in his sleep. Dib scowled up at the twitching alien.

"Probably dreaming of world conquest," Dib muttered to himself.

Zim had surprisingly updated the security of his base, making it slightly more difficult not to get lasered by his creepy gnomes. Dib unconsciously rubbed the sore patches of skin from when he hadn't been as careful.

The boy grinned, pulling out the new pair of Alien Sleep Cuffs he had ordered. Ever since he started skool, Dib had dreamed of proving to everyone that he was not a lunatic. He knew Zim wasn't planning to destroy the human race anytime soon. Dib knew the alien too well to think that. No, he just wanted to expose Zim so that nobody would dare call Dib crazy ever again.

"Master can't play right now," a voice said behind Dib.

The boy turned to see GIR in his dog disguise, holding a stuffed pig under one arm. "Go away."

"Master needs to fix himself," GIR continued. "My master said if he doesn't, he'll hurt people."

"I said go away. I'm busy."

"Please don't hurt my master," the robot sniffed softly. "Don't wake him up."

Dib growled in annoyance. Snapping the Cuffs around his enemy's wrists, he attempted to pull the wires out of Zim's PAK. It was as though they were fused together. Finally, they came apart when Dib accidently pressed a button on Zim's PAK.

"No! Master said not to take him down till he got up!" GIR shouted, revealing fearsome artillery from his head.

A well aimed laser from GIR turned the Cuffs around his master's wrists to dust. As soon as they were gone, Zim's eyes began to flicker open.

"Are the repairs done already?" He mumbled incoherently."Wait. Dib? Computer! Put me back into sleep mode! Quickly! Before…ERK!"

Dib grabbed Zim's antennae as the alien began to shake like a leaf in the fall."I'm not letting you escape that easily, Zim."

Zim became deathly still as a growl rumbled through his body. Too fast to see, the alien's clawed hand swiped at Dib's face. The red blood dripped from Zim's hand onto the floor, searing his flesh as it went. Dib yelped in surprise and pain as he realized his grip on his enemy. He fell back, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Dib looked up to find a weapon of some sort pressed to his forehead, but before Zim could pull the trigger, tentacles erupted from the ceiling and the house threw Dib outside. As the lawn gnomes dragged him away, Dib watched as the freakish house boarded itself up in defensive mode.

***back at the Membrane household***

Gaz was waiting for Dib when he got home. Before he could come up with an excuse for the blood, she punched Dib in the nose, causing more blood to flow.

"Now that you're done being stupid," she growled, "go take a shower."

Dib grudgingly trudged upstairs to the bathroom. What the hell was wrong with Zim? Though the two had fought countless times before, neither had actually drawn blood. What bothered Dib the most was that it seemed like Zim was trying to warn him beforehand. Why want to help one second then want to kill the next?

"I guess it doesn't matter," Dib sighed. "But this means I'll need the help of the Swollen Eyeball if I'm going to capture him."

***next day***

Zim cautiously approached Gaz, who knew he was there but said nothing. He wasn't sure how she would react to what happened the other day.

"Gaz-human, ," He said quickly, sucking up his pride.

"What did you say?" Gaz asked, enjoying Zim's obvious pain.

"Zim is sorry," the green alien growled. "It is unfit for a member of the Irken Empire to behave in such a manner! Yet Zim cannot help it! Stupid defect. Why did it have to be the feelings block? Emotions such as that are considered weak among us!"

"Can't you fix it or something? Get a new one?"

Zim looked at Gaz as though she had said that he should kill babies. "The PAK is not something you can just replace when it gets old and broken! Even the simplest of repairs are incredibly dangerous and could prove to be fatal. No, I cannot do anything. I will have to remain on this filthy rock for the rest of my life so as not to endanger the wellbeing of my Tallests."

Zim sighed, looking lonely. To never again see the faces of another member of his species was the price he would have to pay to not threaten the lives of his people.

"How do you humans function with such emotions coursing through your body? Tell me."

"Eh, you get used to it after awhile," Gaz shrugged.

"How long until that happens?" Zim eyed her curiously.

"Depends on who you are. Some people never do yet others are born into controlling them."

"Can teach me? The feeling of blood lust was…disturbing and I would prefer not to go through it again."

Gaz looked into the alien's begging eyes. Deep down, she felt hurt that Zim did not want to love her, but, like all emotions she had, she shunned the feeling. Zim was right. Feelings are for the weak.

"The skill is not something you can just learn from somebody," Gaz sighed. "Only you can teach yourself to block out everything, but I do have one piece of advice. Find something that can distract you and never let it go. For me, it's video games. For Dib, it's his paranormal junk. Anything will do."

"Thank you, human," Zim said. "I am forever in your dept."

"I'll remember that," Gaz smirked.

Zim was turning around to march off when a certain scythe-haired boy went running past with a certain disguised robot hot on his tail. GIR was waving what appeared to be his stuffed pig.

"Piggy wants to play with you, Big-head!" shouted the crazed robot.

"Somebody help me!" begged Dib at the top of his lungs.

Gaz and Zim quietly watched the odd scene. It was greatly appealing to both of them.

"Maybe that little robot is a useful evil minion after all," Zim chuckled.

***after skool, at the Membrane household***

"Your report intrigues us, Agent Moth Man," the darkened silhouette of Dark Bootie said. "You say this alien is becoming more and more deadly?"

"Yes, he almost killed me recently," Dib answered.

"Has he harmed anyone else?"

"Yes. I believe he has done something to my sister, but neither of them will tell me what it was."

"Most odd," the figure closed its eyes and appeared to think over the information. "Agent Moth Man, watch the alien and report back if he poses any threat to the human race."

Dib grudgingly agreed then turned off his communicator. He wanted to be rid of Zim now, didn't the Eyeballs see that?

"At least this gives me an opportunity to plan Zim's demise," Dib sighed, pulling out a sheet of paper and drawing Zim over an autopsy table.


	4. Chapter 4

Zim came to skool the next day with a purple and red mechanical notebook. He was sitting on a bench, contently writing in it, when Dib showed up.

"Planning for the destruction of the human race?" the boy sneered.

"No, you fool," Zim sighed. "I'm trying a technique your sister told me about."

Dib glared at the alien. "What's between you and my sister, Zim? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

The green alien raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Your very annoying, Dib-worm. If you must know, she's assisting me."

"To do what? Take over the world? Bring humanity to its knees? She would never hand her own race over to slavery!"

"Evidently you don't know much about your sister, but all the same no. None of those things are correct."

"Enlighten me then."

Zim sighed and put the book down. "Ask her if you want to know so much. Your questions bore me."

He was getting up to move when Dib stopped him and said, "I already did. She told me to ask you."

"Then the two of us agree not to tell you, Dib-human. You still seem to see me as your enemy. What do I have to do to get rid of you?" Zim stomped away.

Dib glared daggers at the retreating alien. He hated not knowing.

"That human makes me so mad! I've got to keep away from him while at skool or the defection will take over again," Zim said, shuddering at the thought.

***Ms. Bitters's class***

Dib was once again ranting and berating the class about Zim's alien origins. Also once again, the class was either calling him crazy or ignoring him.

"Come on! Why are you guys so blind? I mean just look at him!" Dib shouted desperately, pointing at Zim.

Zim was fiddling with some advanced-looking equipment when he noticed the class staring at him expectantly. Quickly he stuffed it into his PAK and leaned down on an elbow.

"Dib sure is crazy," Zim chuckled. "I'm as human as anyone in here."

"Yea, Dib is crazy," some random student said. The rest of the class began to nod and agree.

"Just admit it, Zim," Dib said. "You are an alien sent to take over planet Earth!"

Zim rolled his eyes. "First off, Dib, why would an alien admit to being an alien? That's just dumb. Second, wouldn't an alien consider another species aliens? And third, I was not sent to take over the planet!"

"Then what were you sent here for?" Dib narrowed his eyes.

"That is an embarrassing secret that I'm not about to tell you. The very thought makes my normal human organs twist in horror."

"I'll find out everything about you eventually, Zim! _Everything_," Dib vowed.

"You are really obsessive, Earth-monkey. The only thing you need to know is not to get me angry if you value your life," Zim said this with such intensity that everyone in the class was reminded of Gaz.

Dib tried not to shudder and failed miserably. Zim had changed and it disturbed the boy. He was not the same fool that had come to Earth in an attempt to take it over. Zim was dangerous now; the scar on Dib's face reminded him of that. Yet it seemed as though he didn't want to be dangerous.

"I'll get you one day, Zim," Dib mumbled to himself, returning to his seat. "One day very soon."

***next day***

Friday was the most insane day of the skool week, at least according to Zim. He found it odd that the humans didn't train their smeets everyday for years like Irkens did, but he seldom complained. The extra two Earth days gave him extra time to plan the downfall of the filthy human scum. It was too bad that he couldn't plan their downfall anymore.

Instead Zim had to wonder what he would do with the time that had thrust itself into his claws. Once GIR had shown Zim what he did in his spare time. Zim would never again go out to these 'rave' things; they hurt his antennae too much. Zim didn't want to invite the humans over for video games, fearing that once again he would fall to his defection. Maybe the Dib-stink would decide to bother him.

"Hey, Zim," Gaz said, appearing behind him at the lunch table.

"Hello, Gaz-human," Zim pretended not to be startled. "The Dib is annoying again, isn't he?"

"Always is," Gaz answered and sat down next to the alien, all the while her eyes were glued to her game.

Zim continued to doodle in his notebook. Gaz coming over to his table was becoming more and more frequent. They did this simply to annoy Dib, whom would never cease to entertain them afterwards.

"I know what you're planning, alien!" Dib spat, yelling across the room. "I'm going to get you soon!"

"Should I egg him on or let him rant?" Zim snickered to Gaz who simply shrugged.

Chuckling, Zim had an even more brilliant idea. He turned to the disguised GIR who was eating Irk knows what.

"GIR! The big headed human wants to make waffles with you," Zim said, smirking.

"WAFFLES!" the insane robot squealed in joy and zoomed with his rockets toward the still ranting scythe-haired boy.

"…and then I'll finally have proof once and for all that I'm… MMMPH!" Dib was suddenly smothered.

GIR was clinging to the boy's head like some crazed wrestler. Dib was lucky that he had the strength to pull the robot off and run for his life and sanity, screaming all the while. Meanwhile, Gaz and Zim watched with amusement, Gaz barely smirking and Zim cackling like a maniac.

It was well after lunch when Dib had finally slammed the door closed to Ms. Bitters's class, panting.

"Late again, Dib! What horrible excuse do you have this time?" Ms. Bitters hissed.

Dib gasped, still catching his breath. "Zim's… robot…dog…brother…thing."

Zim was still clutching his sides from laughter. "Stupid pig smell! Zim's insane little brother is not a robot."

"You have detention after skool, Dib!" a rattle-snake sound seemed to emit from Ms. Bitters.

"But the robot…," Dib was silenced by the growling phantom of Ms. Bitters.

Grudgingly, he slumped into his desk. Dib glared over to his alien nemesis. If Zim laughed any harder, Ms. Bitters would send him to the underground classrooms. That would be a good payback for GIR but chances were that Dib would be sent there too.

Suddenly the bell rang, releasing all the children from their torturers. The students were swept helplessly along in the strange current that occurs in skools all over the globe. Dib, however, stayed behind and was forced to clean the skool lunchroom with a toothbrush.

Finally when the punishment was through, Dib trudged back home. He wasn't even through the door of the skool when he spied something out of the corner of his eye. It was a notebook, a purple and red notebook. Picking it up, Dib noted that it wasn't paper but something more mechanical. It looked familiar somehow.

He opened it up to see if it had a name printed on the inside but instead was met by an odd language and detailed illustrations of everything and anything. They were beautiful, unearthly places; strange creatures; large, sleek spaceships; and more familiar places and people. Dib even found a picture of him and Gaz. Sometimes, the pictures were accompanied by the odd language that somehow looked familiar to Dib. Stuffing it into his backpack, he promised himself that he would look more into it when he got home.


	5. Chapter 5

Zim could feel the defection in his PAK breaking free of the firewall he had installed to stop it. He would have used his notebook to forget about the feelings but he had lost it yesterday. Zim knew that he shouldn't leave the base if the defection was getting past the firewall yet he couldn't send GIR out to get a notebook humans used simply because he wasn't sure when GIR would be back or if the robot would even have what Zim sent him out for.

The Irken sighed. If a human got hold of his notebook, they would probably think that it was some normal human larvae book of drawing stuff. However if Dib had it, the stink-worm would be able to decode what little writing Zim's notebook contained. That would be dangerous to Zim's well-being. He had written about everything that happened to him since Zim had realized that he was a defective. Just the thought of Dib finding out what happened to Gaz the first time the malfunction overcame its firewall sent shivers through Zim's squeedly spooch.

"Might as well work on the defensive systems," Zim sighed, flushing himself down the toilet into his underground base.

***Dib's room***

After researching all known written languages, Dib had come to the conclusion that whoever wrote in this notebook had either made up the language or wasn't from the planet.

"Zim," Dib grinned triumphantly. "He's probably written all kinds of stuff in here! If I can decode it, I'll know all kinds of Irken secrets! Then I'll be able to stop talking to myself."

The scythe-haired boy fiddled with his computer, activating the remote communication with the alien vessel in his garage. "Let's see what you know about alien languages."

A list of common languages across the Universe appeared on the screen. There were over a million entries.

"How am I going to go through all of these?" Dib grumbled. "All I want to do is decode this notebook!"

He glared at the purple and red book. On the inside cover was a large red button that said 'translate'. Dib stared blankly at it for about a second.

"How did I miss that?" He pressed the button and all text immediately transformed into English.

Dib began eagerly leafing through the pages until he passed over something that caught his eye. After reading and rereading the short passage, he stared forward in his chair.

Many galaxies away, a life form was attempting to spy on another life form that was not from the first life form's planet. The first life form had found that the second life form was trying to take over its planet and people. Of course, none of the others believed this but soon they would all know the truth. The first life form held a recording device, aiming it at the other undisguised life form. The life form was about to prove once and for all the threat to his planet when both beings heard a strange sound. It was as if something was yelling the word 'Zim'. The second being turned around at this noise, saw the first being, and destroyed the recording device.

***Zim's base***

"Oh Irk," Zim groaned. "The human seems to have translated my notebook, if that sound was anything to go by."

GIR was watching "The Angry Monkey Show" as if his master's imminent doom by over protective brother was some bad dream already forgotten. Zim estimated that the Dib human would attempt to capture, maim, or kill him, whatever came first. He wouldn't put anything past the human.

Dib approached the cal-de-sac that contained his enemy. He carried a weapon that he had made himself.

Waiting for him in the middle of the yard was Zim and his two sidekicks. The disguised alien had his arms crossed and was waiting expectantly for the human.

"Zim, I know what you did to my sister, you sick alien," Dib growled.

"You should keep your smelly nose to yourself, Earth-monkey," Zim replied coolly. "It's not my fault that such events took place. I had no control over myself, as you have probably read in my notebook, slime."

"It doesn't matter! I'm going to expose you before you can hurt her anymore!" Dib raised the bazooka-like gun and aimed it.

Zim narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you remember our last battle correctly, I would have killed you had not my computer put me in sleep mode. Even without the retched blood lust, I am deadly. I have trained decades on Devastis and recently have completed training on Hobo 13. A desperate human smeet has no chance against a former member of the Irken Elite, even if you know some of my weaknesses."

Dib snarled. "I'll never stop protecting planet Earth from the likes of you!"

He fired the weapon, releasing a burst of energy. Quick as lightning, Zim was atop the roof of his base, out of range. Clutching his robotic partners, Zim snarled a warning to the human below him.

"I've warned you, Dib. Don't get me angry if you value your worthless excuse for a life. My firewall is deteriorating and it quickens easily."

Dib glared at the alien. "Of all the words, worthless is the one to come out of your mouth! You're a monster, Zim. I have these scars to remind me of that."

The alien held out GIR when Dib sent a slab of meat from his gun. GIR happily ate it, laughing at the fun game his master and the big headed boy were playing.

"You brought those scars upon yourself when you tried to capture me while I was in sleep mode. Gaz told me that she warned you. GIR told me that he warned you. I even warned you when I was awakened! Those scars are self-inflicted."

"You, my most hated enemy, love my sister and kissed her without her consent! She is my only family that acknowledges my presence! I will not let you harm her!"

Zim laughed. "Fool! Irkens have not had family units for hundreds of generations! Irkens consider any feeling besides loyalty and anger worthless! If your sister had not known why I kissed her and understood, we would not be having this brawl right now. I know you're not as stupid as the rest of your puny race. Your reasons for this fight are different than what you say."

"I hate your alien guts, Zim. Do I need a better reason?"

Out of Dib's gun, a bullet of water caught the alien off guard and pierced his shoulder, searing his skin and causing green blood to flow. A red fire, hotter than those of hell itself, blazed behind the contacts of Zim's eyes.

"You've just made the biggest mistake of your life, human," Zim said in a voice that could chill absolute zero.

Zim dashed around Dib, dodging his shots and landing blows of his own onto the boy. He was a deadly blur at times and an unmoving statue at others. Dib glanced at his gun and noticed that he had just enough energy for a blast of stunning energy. Realizing that he would be dead if he didn't stop Zim soon, Dib pulled the trigger.

The blast caught Zim and immediately knocked him out. He lay slumped on the ground, twitching slightly. Dib grinned at his success.

Soon after the fight, Agent Dark Bootie of the Swollen Eyeball Network received a call from Agent Moth Man.

"What is it this time, Agent Moth Man?" sighed Dark Bootie.

"I've captured the alien."


	6. Chapter 6

***some research facility***

Dib watched Zim, asleep, writhe in his suspended animation tube. A wide grin slunk onto the boy's face. It has been well over a year since a green-skinned boy claiming to have a skin condition marched into his class and asked Ms. Bitters about the planet's defenses and only now can Dib fulfill his vow to capture and reveal Zim.

"Finally, now the whole world will know that I was right all along! I'll never be called crazy again," Dib mumbled to himself, pressing his face to the container that held his enemy.

***Membrane household***

"Where is Dib?" growled Gaz. "If I find that he's fighting Zim, I'll make him wish I had left him with that alien when he was first captured."

She turned from her game when she heard a pounding at the front door. She opened it and was knocked back by two sobbing robots.

"The bad people have taken my master away, Gazzy! Bring Master back, Gazzy! Bring him back!" GIR cried into the surprised girl.

Gaz looked at the two teary robots. "Dib."

***Monday; some research facility***

Zim was dreaming again. It was the same dream he had ever since he had landed on the filthy rock called Earth. The laughter filled his head. He awoke with a start and stared in horror at his surroundings.

Just like in his dream, Zim was in a tube. Dib was outside, smiling at the reporters who swarmed around him like ants at a picnic.

"When did you realize it was alien?"

"You say its name is Zim?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Hey look its up!"

Suddenly unwanted lights and faces flashed before Zim's eyes. He fought the urge to cringe. Instead he pierced the crowd with his gaze and locked eyes with Dib.

"By the PAK on my back, I will escape, Dib. Oh how I will escape," Zim mumbled, causing uproar in the reporters.

***Membrane household***

"It seems that your brother is less insane then I originally thought, daughter," Professor Membrane said. "I'll be revealing a new wing to the Membrane Labs devoted to studying the alien your brother has."

"Hey Dad, can I see the alien?" Gaz asked slyly.

"Why of course, honey. I don't see why not."

Inside, Gaz was smirking. She had GIR guarding Zim's base and Minimoose was floating beside her, invisible by using some sort of cloaking device. How dare her brother capture that stupid Zim after she told him not to bother him! She would make Dib pay for not obeying her.

***Membrane Labs***

Once again, the small Irken awoke from the nightmare only to realize it was yet to be over. He glared at the glass walls of his personal hell with all the cold fury that had built up in him over the course of the experience. A single moment's weakness, that was all it took.

Zim wished now that he had not allowed Gaz to come over to play video games. He wished he had instead warned her about his defective PAK then and there. Maybe she wouldn't have come over then.

Dib had taunted Zim by telling him that scientists would begin to test him the next day. He laughed when he saw the slight flinch Zim had when Dib talked about testing him.

"So this was my opponent," Zim mumbled bitterly, watching Dib walk away. "And to think that I respected him."

Gaz had finally arrived at the Membrane Labs. She spotted her brother talking to Zim and hid in the shadows, resisting the urge to send him to a nightmare world. She would have time later.

When she was sure that no scientists were near, Gaz approached Zim. His antennae perked up when he saw her, begging with his eyes.

"I'm going to bust you out of here. Does your backpack thing still work?" She whispered, wary of the security cameras.

"Not the weapons or the self destruct," Zim answered in an equally quiet voice, "but they didn't know how to block those properly so as soon as I get out of here I can get them back online."

"Can you run?"

"Of course. My PAK always keeps my body in top condition when there is a chance that I may be tortured."

"Good."

Gaz glared at the tank and her leg began to twitch. Swiftly, she tapped the glass and watched as spider-hair cracks crossed the glass. It burst, releasing Zim and the liquid out. He brushed himself off, glad that he had been allowed to keep his uniform.

The two ran, Gaz leading the way. A shrill siren pierced the air, announcing to everyone that Zim had escaped. The pounding of guards'' feet followed them through the twisted corridors. Zim's antennae twitched and he grabbed Gaz and pulled them into the air ducts by his spider legs.

Not a second after they closed the grid, soldiers armed with dart guns circled the spot they had been standing on. The alien and the girl continued on in the hidden pathways of the air duct.


	7. Chapter 7

Zim and Gaz soon found their way to the outside. The night sky was studded with stars and a cool breeze brushed them from the ocean bellow. However, the scientists must have had all openings triggered because the two escapees were soon surrounded by soldiers and guns.

"Doomsday device activated," Minimoose turned off the cloaking device.

Zim clutched Gaz close to him and turned on a shield. The soldiers at first panicked by the phrase 'doomsday device activated' but chuckled when they saw the floating purple moose.

***Zim's base; short while later***

Minimoose carried the two figures into the open roof of Zim's base, which closed upon their entrance.

"I've never seen anyone look as dumbfounded as those humans!" Zim cackled.

"I like the part where they fell," Gaz said.

A voice outside shouted through what sounded like a megaphone," We know you're in there, alien! We have you surrounded. Give yourself up!"

Zim raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Do they really think that's going to happen?"

"Evidently so," Gaz shrugged.

"Computer!" Zim demanded.

"What?" the bored voice of the computer.

"Activate total lockdown mode."

***outside***

Rows of tanks surrounded the freakish green house that was supposed to be the alien's base. Scientists were waiting with a tank for the alien to give itself up. Suddenly the ground began to quake and a blue force field enclosed around the house, turning invisible seconds later. The house itself sprouted lasers and the scary lawn gnomes in front transformed into spider-like robots. An evil laughter could be heard inside.

"That's it," the general shouted to his men. "Fire all we've got at the house!"

At first they fired relentlessly, but as soon as the army realized that the impact from the weapons simply made the shield light up in blue, they stopped. Someone threw water at it but the result was the same with the artillery. Attempts to enter were not only electrocuted by the field but also shot at by the spider bots.

"At least that crazy dog thing isn't here," someone whispered to another.

***inside***

"Was the evil laughter really necessary?" the computer asked.

"Do not question the mind of ZIM!" commanded the alien.

"Master! Gazzy brought you back!" the malfunctioning SIR unit cheered, leaping up and hugging Zim.

"You shouldn't worry, GIR," Zim said. "Nothing can kill the almighty Zim! Nothing!"

"Yay! Does Gazzy want waffles?" GIR asked.

Gaz felt like she hadn't eaten in ages. "Sure. Why not?"

While Gaz ate, Zim planned. Now that his secret base was reveled and the world knew his name, he would have to find a better place to hide. Zim began to plan.

Gaz had enough sense not to eat the waffles with soap in them. However, she would never be able to eat enough to appease the crazy robot. When she found this out, Gaz simply pulled out her Game Slave and started killing pigs. This didn't seem to make GIR stop making waffles, though.

"You look like you need waffles," GIR said. "These have tuna in 'em!"

"Where did you learn to make waffles?" Gaz couldn't think of Zim teaching GIR such a thing.

"That Keef boy!"

That explained it, Gaz thought. She took her game to the sofa and away from all the waffles, which were beginning to clog up the kitchen.

Gaz finished her game after a few hours and, having nothing better to do, fell asleep. Zim came in later. He couldn't help but smile at the human sleeping with GIR curled up next to her. They always seemed to look different when asleep, humans.

Zim sighed. "I can't help it. Being away from other Irkens has weakened me."

Zim fell asleep next to Gaz to the sound of the explosions hitting the base's shields.

Gaz and Zim were eating the least deadly waffles GIR had made the next morning.

"Gaz, you can't come with me," Zim said stubbornly.

Gaz never liked to be told what she couldn't do and she made this clear when she glared at the alien. "Why not?"

It was more of a demand than a question. "Because the almighty Zim commands it!"

She waited for a better answer, anger and annoyance written on her features.

Zim growled, frustrated. "You've got your own family unit, Gaz-human!"

"My stupid brother should know by now that I let you out of that tube thing. Both he and Dad will be against me now."

"When has that ever stopped you? Besides, Zim must hide better than ever before now that the Dib-monkey reviled my identity. I cannot afford to have anything from my past."

"That's too bad because I'm coming anyway. Whatever you're doing will be much better than my life will be if I stay."

"You lie, human. I will have to move whenever my human peers become old. I will long outlive you so this will be necessary. You will grow old and die along with them and there is nothing you or I can do to stop that. It will be far better for us to part now."

"I don't care, Zim. It's better than an obsessive brother and a father that ignores you. I'm coming with you."

Zim could tell that he was losing the fight. He sighed. He didn't want to do what must be done. Zim pulled out a syringe and swiftly and skillfully injected its contents into Gaz's blood stream before she could punch him. It took effect almost immediately and began to knock her into unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry, Gaz, but you can't come with me," Zim whispered to her.

*** Membrane household***

Dib saw the mushroom cloud created from the explosion of his enemy's lair and knew that Zim had done it himself. Dib growled. Just when all the spying and battling had paid off, Zim escaped. Dib just knew his sister had something to do with it because she never came home that night. Why was she always stopping him from finally defeating Zim?

A knock on the door disrupted Dib's chain of thoughts. He opened it to reveal a boy about his age carrying his sister. He had long black hair that covered his eyes and a red long-sleeved shirt with a black skull on it.

"Gaz? But how…" Dib began but was interrupted by the stranger.

"We were friends. She never told you cause you're a jerk and would be to wrapped up in your parajunk to care. She came over last night," the boy said, bored, and handed Gaz to Dib. "I'm moving so you'd better wise up."

Dib was speechless as the boy walked away. By the way he had threatened Dib, there was no doubt in his mind that the boy spoke the truth. Yet there was something oddly familiar about him that Dib just couldn't place.

"Maybe Gaz didn't help Zim escape after all," Dib mumbled, carrying his sister to her room.

***a week later ***

Gaz sighed. She hated skool. The only reason she came here was that she would be bored at home and her brother would stop her. Funny how he never cared before. Her gaze roamed to the window.

Outside, a boy stared back at her. He had black hair covering his eyes and a red long-sleeved shirt with a black skull on it. The boy was walking a yellow dog that was eating something. Though he didn't look like him, somehow Gaz knew.

"Zim."

**Do you see what I did there? Do you see it? I'll tell you what I did. I finished, that's what I did. I never finish! Never. This calls for balloons and a cake.**

**Anyway, thank you all that reviewed and read my story. You make me feel special. I hope you find my other stories good as well and if you don't, I really don't care. I keep thinking that I'm going to write a sequel to this, but that's not likely since I can't think of what they will do. Oh well. I can dream, right?**

**Heartofstone15 out! **


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